Agra: Muhammad Iqbal, the khateeb of Masjid Nahar Wali located in Sikandra, Agra, said during his Friday sermon that the debate on the existence of God remains as relevant today as it was in the past. Referring to a recently held programme, he said that the discussion focused on the question “Does God exist?” and made it clear that the debate was between those who believe in God—Allah, Ishwar, God, Parmatma—and those who do not.
Muhammad Iqbal pointed out that unfortunately, some people tried to present this intellectual debate as a Hindu–Muslim issue, which, according to him, is a misrepresentation. He stressed that this debate is very old in nature, but this time it took a different form because the representative in favour of belief was a young student. His appearance—beard, cap, kurta, and association with a madrasa—became a talking point.
He said the world witnessed how this madrasa student surprised everyone with his sharp wit and strong presence of mind. Earlier, many people believed that madrasa students held outdated views and were unaware of the digital age. However, this programme completely changed that perception. The young student represented people of different religious beliefs with remarkable clarity, confidence, and logical strength, which deserves appreciation.
Muhammad Iqbal especially appealed to major educational institutions in India to allocate dedicated time for study, training, and skill development. He urged them to prepare such students for intellectual debates of this nature. According to him, this serves as an important message for today’s generation.
